The study, published in the December issue of the journal Social Science Quarterly, also found that young adults who do not go to college gain weight — about a half pound less than college students of the same age. In other words, college attendance has almost no effect on weight gain.

“There are lots of things to worry about when you go to college,” said the lead author, Jay L. Zagorsky, a research scientist at Ohio State. “But gaining weight is not one of them. Worry about flunking your courses and whether you’re going to like your roommates. Don’t worry about a myth.”

A version of this article appears in print on November 8, 2011, on page D6 of the New York edition with the headline: Patterns: ‘Freshman 15’ Is a Myth, a Study Suggests. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe